Questioning Techniques

I arranged a lesson to observe for questioning techniques.I’ ve already learned the questioning techniques but I was not so aware of the question types that I use. I just do it unconsciously. This is the time for realising and remembering them.

First of all, I had a quick look at the lesson plan to have an idea what will be going on in the lesson a usual.Besides, I prepared some possible questions and I thought to match them with the teacher’s own questions.The whole lesson I jot down teacher’s questions and sets of questions of teacher and students.Here are the questions in the chronological order:

· What can you see in this picture?

· What is the picture about?

· What is the boy doing in the picture?

· What is he wearing?

· What colour are his clothes?

· What can be the title?

· Could you open your books, please?

· Who wants to read the first page? Raise your hands.

· Who are these?

· What are their names?

· Teacher: Are they friends?

Student: No, they aren’t

· Teacher: What are they talking about?

Student: They are talking about a super hero.

· Teacher: What’s the name of this hero?

Student: His name is Super Sam.

· Is she old?

· Teacher: What are they reading?

Student: They are reading a comic book.

· Teacher: Can he fly?

Student: Yes, he can.

· Teacher: What does he need to fly?

Student: He needs a flying cape.

· Teacher: What is he wearing?

Student: He is wearing a flying cape, super boots, pants and t-shirt.

· He has got super boots, hasn’t he?

· What do you think about this? Can a man fly?

The teacher used different types of questions to take student’s responds.In order to see the types of questions, I classified them below.

Funnel Qs. : What can you see in this picture?

What is the picture about?

What is the boy doing in the picture?

What is he wearing?

What colour are his clothes?

What can be the title?

Group Qs. : Who wants to read the first page? Raise your hands.

Rhetorical Qs. Could you open your books, please?

CCQs (Concept Check Questions): Who are these?

What are their names?

Teacher: Are they friends?

Student: No, they aren’t

Teacher: What are they talking about?

Student: They are talking about a super hero.

Teacher: What’s the name of this hero?

Student: His name is Super Sam.

Is she old?

Teacher: What are they reading?

Student: They are reading a comic book.

Teacher: Can he fly?

Student: Yes, he can.

Teacher: What does he need to fly?

Student: He needs a flying cape.

Teacher: What is he wearing?

Student: He is wearing a flying cape, super boots, pants and t-shirt.

Taq Qs. : He has got super boots, hasn’t he?

Opinion Qs. : What do you think about this? Can a man fly?

Yes/ No Qs. : Teacher: Are they friends?

Student: No, they aren’t

Teacher: Can he fly?

Student: Yes, he can.

Can a man fly?

I’ ve ranked these questions in order of difficulty for learners so as to reveal the relationship between the possible responses and the types of questions. You can see the ranking chart below:

HARD	NEEDS THINKING	EASY	VERY EASY
What are they talking about?	What can you see in this picture?	Could you open your books, please?	He has got super boots, hasn’t he?
What are they reading?	What is the picture about?	Who wants to read the first page? Raise your hands.	Can he fly?
What can be the title?	What is the boy doing in the picture?	Who are these?	Are they friends?
What does he need to fly?	What is he wearing?	What are their names?	Can a man fly?
	What colour are his clothes?	What’s the name of this hero?
	What is he wearing?

After I ranked the questions, I realise that there is a clear relationship between the type of questions and the expected response.For instance; The funnel questions seek further information that goes into more specific detail from more general.It looks like as if it is easy but it’s not.But making generalizing helps students get the main idea. The specification is hard fort hem. Rhetorical questions are not really questions, but statements given in question format.Public speakers often use rhetorical questions in the middle of speeches.The audience cannot answer, but the intent is to engage them in thinking and consider what answer they would give if they could.Just like in this example, teacher used rhetorical question but in an easier form.Taq questions emphasize and encourage the other people to aggree.This is not so hard fort he students in both types of questions: rhetorical questions and taq questions. In comparison with this, if we consider the CCQ (Concept Check Questions) they are for finding out more details.Students should understand the main idea first and then they will make a comment on the subject and aswer.In this lesson , first of all they should read the paragraph, understand what it means, then understand teacher’s question, remember what they read and answer.That’s why these types of questions are problem for students.

During the lesson, I listened both the teacher and the students, both the questions and responses.One of the most important point in questioning is to give sufficient time to respond.This teacher was aware of this main point.She gave enough and equal time to each student.But there was an absence, that was questioning equally. Not all of the students participated in the lesson, just half of the class responded to the teacher’s questions.

There was a sample experience for prooving the difficulty of CCQs , teacher repeated the CCQs continuously, even she rephrased her sentences. Because students didn’t get the meaning of the questions.

After listening the responses, the teacher responded back to the students, corrected their mistakes or made them realise the mistakes in given responses and directed them to correct. She used both peer correction and teacher correction.

During my own lessons, I choose my questions carefully.I used some of these types of questions very efficiently and regularly such as Yes/No Qs., taq Qs., CCQs., but I never categorised my questions.Besides all these, as a result of my research , I remembered the question types which I learned at university and learned new types of questions.As a result, from now on, I will be able to use different types of questions in my lessons.